Tuesday, August 9, 2016

11:19 PM

JANESVILLE – Paul Nehlen, who pulled just 16 percent of the vote in his challenge of House Speaker Paul Ryan, told supporters tonight he “defied everyone’s expectations for this campaign.”

Nehlen used his speech to take a series of shots at Ryan, with murmurs of angry assent from the crowd accompanying every sentence.

A Ryan aide said Nehlen had not called the speaker as of shortly before midnight to congratulate him.

“We took on the leader of the world’s globalist movement,” Nehlen said. “When you take on Paul Ryan, you’re not just taking on Paul Ryan. You’re taking on the Chamber of Commerce. You’re taking on the Koch brothers. You’re taking on Wall Street. You’re taking on all of the transnational elites who will do anything to keep their speaker in Congress.”

Nehlen characterized Ryan as beholden to special interest groups, putting them before the needs of the people. He also blamed Republican leadership for contributing to the current economic state of Wisconsin as well as the lack of border security in America.

“Our leaders, led by Ryan himself, don’t just do nothing. They aid and abet our economic destruction,” Nehlen said.

Throughout Nehlen’s campaign, questions were raised about his support inside the 1st CD, which occupies Wisconsin’s southeastern corner, compared to out-of-state backers who were promoting his campaign.

At Nehlen’s gathering, Gahan Haskins, 61, of New York, said he came to Wisconsin to campaign for Nehlen and, like most of the other volunteers for the campaign, is a Trump supporter.

“Globalism is what people hate most about Ryan,” Haskins said.

The biggest applause came with a standing ovation and a “Nehlen” chant as he asked his supporters to continue to stand with him in the weeks and months to come.

“Tonight is just the beginning,” Nehlen said without offering specifics.